A Change in Perspective
by emrldeyes
Summary: Bella, Edward, and Alice are friends leading normal lives until the mysterious Cullens move to Forks. What will happen? AU Pairigs: E/B J/A Em/R C/Es R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first crack at a Twilight story and a multi-chapter story, and it is the result of procrastinating on an important English paper...wow, that's sad. Sorry if the writing's a bit weird, I think my English teacher's getting to me. =) This is the prologue by the way. And sorry for the summary, I didn't want to give anything away.**

**Disclaimer: I wish Twilight was mine just as much as I wish Zero from Vampire Knight was mine...but alas, Stephine Meyer owns it all, I'm just borrowing her amazing characters. **

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This story takes place in a time not so long ago, in the little town of Forks, Washington. It was the residence of one Isabella Swan, a pretty girl with brown hair and doe eyes, and her father, the chief of police, Charlie Swan. Isabella, or Bella as she was known, had lived in Forks for as long as she could remember. And, as it happened, Bella lived a short way away from one Edward Mason and his adopted sister Mary Brandon, or Alice, as she liked to be called. Consequentially, as in all stories of this nature, the three children soon became inseparable, cavorting all around the little neighborhood creating mischief, as all children seem to do.

This continued for sometime, until the three became mature enough to realize that creating mischief was altogether childish and turned up their noses at such things, and they decided that traveling to Port Angeles to buy the latest gadget, or in Alice's case, fashionable clothes, or catch the latest movie was much more mature and adult-like It was in this manner that our three heroes progressed through life, and while they acquired other friends and acquaintances, the trio always stayed close and hardly spent a moment without the other two.

It was on a rainy summer day in Forks on which our story opens. The three heroes had just ended their sophomore year in high school when a mysterious family from Alaska moved to the small town of Forks, sending the little town into a flurry of excitement. _Someone was actually moving there!_The reclusive Cullens found themselves to be the talk of the town, and everywhere the family turned, there seemed to be whispers following them. It was soon common knowledge that Carlisle and Esme Cullen, the "parents" of the little family, had adopted three teenagers, Rosalie and Jasper Hale and Emmett Cullen, and were moving to the town because it its closeness to the forest and its small atmosphere. They were also all inhumanly beautiful, Rosalie especially, but almost nothing was seen of the family except for Carlisle until the three teenagers started school in September as juniors.

It was that first of September that the three new teens were viewed up close for the first time. People whispered about them unashamedly throughout first period, languished over the new students' appearance second period, wondered if they could get the Cullen's to be their friends third period, lusted for them (especially Rosalie) fourth period, got in a frenzy again at lunch, and repeated the process again in their afternoon classes. All in all, it can be assumed that the Cullens were sick of dealing with the trivial matters of small town high school teens the moment they glided into first period.

The town got over the new residents in a matter of one week. The three were reclusive, allowed no one into their little social bubble, and were quickly labeled the new silent but brilliant people on campus, much to the chagrin of one Eric Yorkey. The teachers classified them as typical teens: they thought they knew everything, though were a tad introverted, and obviously cared a little _too_much about their looks. The result: the Cullens were effectively socially isolated, to their relief, and were able to go through entire an entire day without being called on in class.

The little town could not know that five very dangerous beings had just invaded their little haven. They didn't register the slight decrease in the animal population or the fact that the five new residents didn't look entirely human or even how Jasper Hale sometimes looked at Alice Brandon with a certain animalistic gleam in his eye. In short, the five new residents effectively keep their secret hidden from the ignorant town of Forks until Isabella Swan was diagnosed with something dreadful.

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**Dun dun dun!!!!!!!!!!**

**What could Bella have contracted??????? And why does Jasper look at Alice like that?**

**You'll just have read on to find out!**

**~Emerald**


	2. Chapter 2

**Because of AliceRulesMyWorld, I was inspired to write this next chapter. So, this is the result of procrastinating all of yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie...end of story.**

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"Jasper Cullen's looking at you again," droned a slightly nasally voice, the owner flipping her beautiful blond locks over her shoulder carelessly.

A tiny shriek escaped a petite young woman as her head whipped around to stare at the topaz eyes boring holes into the back of her head. Her cheeks grew rosy and she turned back around to Jessica's admonishment of "No, don't look, it'll only encourage him!", her short black hair still perfectly in place.

Edward too reacted to Jessica's observation, but unlike his sister's excited reaction, he simply chose to glare at the offender and state in his protective older brother way, "It's creepy the way he looks at you; it's almost as if he wants to eat you."

A booming laugh carried across the cafeteria; the group of friends turned around to see Emmett Cullen punching Jasper in the shoulder, the latter wearing an odd look across his features. Jessica took this turn in the conversation as an opening to one of her new favorite pastimes: bashing the Cullens. It was common knowledge that she hated the fact that Rosalie was considered prettier than her, that Jasper had turned her advances down repeatedly, and that Rosalie and Emmett did practically nothing to hide their relationship. Alice interrupted the familiar tirade, saving everyone from boredom, by asking Bella what she thought of Jasper's interest.

Bella jumped out of her thoughts, blushed, and stammered, "I-I dunno, Alice, he just seems too feral and animalistic. He looks at you almost possessively, like you're his already." A quick cover, a lie snatched out of thin air. She didn't catch the sympathetic look Rosalie sent her way, the one that lasted a second and disappeared.

"You only say that because Edward did and you don't want to upset your _beau_," Alice pouted. Bella blushed and furiously denied it-she honestly _hadn't_ been paying attention to the conversation until now-while Edward quirked a golden eyebrow. "Besides, it's not like he would actually be interested in me. None of them are interested in anything in Forks besides hiking and woods." Alice said _hiking _and _woods_ with a shudder, as if her wardrobe was jeopardized at that precise moment.

The bell rang, interrupting further argument on the subject, and the group of friends made their way to class behind the graceful Cullens.

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"Bella, are you sure you're fine, you hardly talked at all today during lunch. And you've been t—"

"I'm fine, Mike."

"But Bells, you been off since Oct—"

"I'm _fine_, Edward."

It was one of those times when Edward truly tolerated the Newton kid. He hated ganging up on Bella, but something was up.

"Eddie—"

"Don't call me Eddie, Newton," Edward snapped, teeth gritted in frustration.

"Fine, _Edward_'s right, Bella, ever since your parents took you to Seattle in October you've been off, more tired than usual, anti-social, disappearing every other Saturday doing God knows what. You even blew off that Black kid from La Push last week. You _never_ do that. And—"

Bella rounded on them in anger. "Look guys, I appreciate your concern, but I don't want to talk about it, okay? Now, I'm tired, I'm hungry, I _want _to go home, so please, back off." Edward and Mike opened their mouths at the same time. Bella beat them to the punch. "And no, I don't need a ride home, I have my truck."

Mike looked dejected; Edward just took it in stride, but gave her a pointed look all the same. He was worried about her, sure, but he knew when to back off. Unlike Newton. Bella's annoyed look slid off her face and her voice lowered. "I'm fine. Really." She tried to smile for good measure, but it turned into a grimace. She sighed. "I'll see you around."

Edward looked after her as the engine to her truck turned over (after multiple tries and some coaxing) and she drove off. Mike tried to engage him in small talk, but a forceful "Go away, Newton" sent him scurrying to his newly waxed Ford. Coward.

"You need to stop scaring him like that," whispered a lilting voice near the middle of his chest.

He stared ahead stonily. "He thinks he has a chance with her. He thinks he can treat her like Jessica or Lauren, but I won't let him. He's disgusting," he said heatedly. "Don't deny it Alice, you know it's true. Why we even let him sit with us—"

"Calm down, _Eddie_. I get it. You're jealous." Edward sent a light smack her way, earning a "Hey!" and a punch in return. After a moments silence, Alice sobered up, seeing that Edward still stared down the road Bella had just vacated. "She'll be fine Edward, she's strong. If something is really wrong, she would have said something."

"But what if she doesn't want to hurt us? What if she's trying to protect us from something awful?" he asked, pain filling his green eyes, looking like a lost puppy with nowhere to turn.

"We'll just have to trust her judgment, Edward. She's a big girl. She doesn't need protecting anymore."

"But those bruises are—"

"Shh. Stop worrying. I'll let you drive if you do," she persuaded. Edward shot her a filthy look, but nevertheless wrestled the keys to her yellow 9-11 Turbo from her hands and jumped into car seconds later. Alice stared after him in annoyance, still thirty meters away from her Porsche.

"You coming Alice, or are you just going to stand there looking grumpy?" Edward called through the open window, a smirk on his excited face. She just glared at him. "What? You offered," he said angelically.

"I was being facetious," she muttered, but nevertheless grumbled her way into her yellow baby. The two didn't see the three pairs of amber eyes watching them peel out of the parking lot and down the road.

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Bella knew she was being watched. Ever since their conversation two days ago, Mike and Edward had, despite their differences, banded together and made it their top priority to discover her secret. She admired their resolve, but she didn't want them to worry. Or hurt. But their persistence aggravated her already frayed nerves, and following her truck was not an impressive feat. So, feeling very Mission Impossible, she drove over to La Push, noting the silver Volvo four cars behind her in her rear-view mirror. Hopefully her plan would work.

It was just her luck to find Jake at his house, toying with a pair of motorcycles outside the garage. He instantly put down the greasy tool he was using and cleaned his hands on a dirty towel when he saw she was visiting him. The poor boy was just like Mike. Pity.

She cut the ignition and opened the truck's door. "Hey Bells, fancy seeing you around these parts," he called, jogging over to her truck.

"Yeah, thought I'd mosey on down here and see what trouble you natives have gotten into since the last time I was here," she threw back. They bantered back and forth for a while, walking through the woods and greeting others from a distance before she cut to the chase.

"Hey, Jake, I got a favor to ask you."

"And the real reason she comes is finally voiced," he said heavily, grinning slightly. "What work are you going to put me to this time, Bells?"

"Mike and Edward seem to believe that something's up with me and they've been on my back about it, following me, popping up at random times…"

"Let me guess-you want me to chauffeur you somewhere," he stated, the grin still etched onto his face.

"You know me too well, Jake," Bella laughed, grinning a little. "I need to get to the hospital without them noticing. They followed me here. Or, at least Edward followed me here."

The word hospital made him frown. "So there is something wrong. Why else would you need to go to the hospital?"

Bella froze at his observation. Damn. "Just please take me, Jake. No questions," she pleaded. "Please?"

The frown still on his face, he acquiesced to her request. He was a sucker for her puppy dog pout.

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Dr. Carlisle Cullen prided himself in his work and his way of life. How he had never given into temptation, how he was able to do his job without giving in to his instincts. He had yet to lose a patient to sickness or disease at his current job in Forks. But that fact might soon become false.

He sighed and ran a hand through his blond locks before looking over the file in his hands again. Her condition had become steadily worse, no matter how much chemo he had given her, no matter how much treatment she had gotten.

It wasn't supposed to be this way! She had friends, family, a whole life ahead of her. But nature and fate refused to let her enjoy it. Her future was set in stone. the results from the tests screamed these things up at him, and he couldn't take it anymore.

No. He wouldn't accept it. This wasn't real. The girl, no, woman lying on the bed, waiting for him to tell her how she was doing, was not going to die. She couldn't. What would happen to that Edward Mason and Alice Brandon, that Mike Newton, that Jessica Stanley, that Angela Weber, that Jacob Black, if she died? He had to keep going. He couldn't, wouldn't give up on her.

He took a deep breath, put a smile on his face, and walked into the room where she was sitting. She beat him to the punch. "I'm not getting better, am I?"

He stood on the threshold of the sterile white door, shocked into silence by both her bluntness and the fact that she had not been fooled by his masquerade. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" she whispered.

He forced himself to speak. She deserved honesty, he realized. "The chances of survival have gone down since your original diagnosis in October," he said gently, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The reply was too sugarcoated and it made him wince. "Maybe you should start going to Seattle for therapy, the odds might go back to your favor. We just don't have all the necessary equipment here to fully treat you, as I've been saying since the beginning."

"No, it's no use anymore. I accept that my decision to come here for treatment may have been a mistake. But thank you for doing all you could to save me, Dr. Cullen. I will come back in two weeks for more chemo."

Her brown hair framed her face as she slid off the hospital bed, shook his hand, and walked slowly out of the room. Her brown eyes haunted his mind for a moment before he shook them away. But she was wrong; he hadn't done everything he could to save her. But should he? Should he?

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Bella looked different from when she had first walked into the hospital, scared, but head held high. Jake was instantly alert-something was wrong; she had learned something in there that would change her life.

"Alright there, Bells?" he whispered as she got in and buckled up. Her calm demeanor instantly dissolved and it looked as if she was fighting back tears.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" he asked, a reason for her countenance surfacing and leaving his mind before he could think about it.

"Oh, Jake, I wish! Anything but this; anything but the truth!" she wailed, her voice cracking. "At least I would be alive if I were pregnant," she whispered, trembling. Jake waited for it, for the revelation. It took a few moments. "I have leukemia," she whispered. "I'm going to die."

And Jacob Black wished to all the known gods that he was dreaming, that she actually was pregnant, anything as long as she would be alive, as Isabella Swan laid her brown head on his shoulder and sobbed.

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**Well, it isn't that good...but if you liked it, review! And if you didn't, review as well so I know what to fix.**

**Love ya!**

**~Emrldys**


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